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This painting illustrates an
episode from the great Hindu epic, Ramayana,
the story of Rama and the rescue of his wife Sita, who was abducted by the evil
Ravana and taken to the kingdom of Lanka. Here Ravana’s younger brother
Vibhishana comes to meet Rama in the forest. Vibhishana was a devotee and ally
of Rama, and had repeatedly warned and implored his brother to return Sita to
Rama. When his pleas continued to fall on deaf ears, Vibhishana, with four of
his demon...

This painting illustrates an
episode from the great Hindu epic, Ramayana,
the story of Rama and the rescue of his wife Sita, who was abducted by the evil
Ravana and taken to the kingdom of Lanka. Here Ravana’s younger brother
Vibhishana comes to meet Rama in the forest. Vibhishana was a devotee and ally
of Rama, and had repeatedly warned and implored his brother to return Sita to
Rama. When his pleas continued to fall on deaf ears, Vibhishana, with four of
his demon...

This painting illustrates an
episode from the great Hindu epic, Ramayana,
the story of Rama and the rescue of his wife Sita, who was abducted by the evil
Ravana and taken to the kingdom of Lanka. Here Ravana’s younger brother
Vibhishana comes to meet Rama in the forest. Vibhishana was a devotee and ally
of Rama, and had repeatedly warned and implored his brother to return Sita to
Rama. When his pleas continued to fall on deaf ears, Vibhishana, with four of
his demon allies, defected and crossed the ocean to find Rama. Here, the artist
depicts the moment when Vibhishana touches Rama’s feet, and is anointed by
Lakshmana, while the monkey armies, including Anggada and Sugriva, look on. The
large body of swirling water that Vibhishana crossed in order to reach Rama
dominates the composition of the painting. In the distance are tiny figures of
the demons left behind in Lanka. Vibhishana pledged to fight for Rama, who in
turn promised to place Vibhishana on the throne of Lanka, once Ravana was
killed.

This folio has been
attributed to a dispersed series of Ramayana
illustrations from the late eighteenth century, painted in the kingdom of
either Kangra or Guler. The stylistic similarities between paintings from this
region of the Kumaon hills make precise attribution often difficult. This style
is notable for the tenderness of its line and the subtlety of its palette.